


a familiar stranger

by hanktalkin, Punk_B1rd



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Chance Meetings, Fluff, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 18:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15467844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanktalkin/pseuds/hanktalkin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punk_B1rd/pseuds/Punk_B1rd
Summary: Despite the vastness of the world, they run into each other again.





	a familiar stranger

Lijiang bustled with good deals and enthusiastic buyers, ignoring Lynx as they people watched from above. A neon sign hung behind them, turning their jumpsuit into reflective purple with its glow and highlighting them against their backdrop. Sill, no one seemed to notice as they swung their feet steadily over the edge, scanning the crowd for their incoming client.

Yet, even with all the movement and clashing bodies below, they could not miss the mountain of a woman making her way through the crowd, her pink hair not a shade different since Lynx saw her last. It couldn’t be-

But their sensors hadn’t deceived them. Here was Aleksandra Zaryanova once again, two years and half a planet away from where they’d left her.

Dense crowds had never been her favorite. Having to weave and avoid mowing down passersby while mumbling nearly inaudible pardons and apologies in both English and Russian was not exactly high on her list of favorite things to do. But she had little choice in the matter. She was there on business as a backup, an extra set of strong hands on a mission that may or may not need her assistance. So she remained on standby, told to mingle and draw as little attention to herself as possible.

Her form-fitted armor was hidden well under a baggy black hoodie and olive BDU pants, her cannon stored in a safe location nearby. She frowned as she forced herself to inspect various vendors in the interest of "blending in”. She was more than aware of how "blended in" she could possibly be as she stood, staring at products she cared nothing about, heads taller than anyone else around her, tuning out the enthusiastic irritating drone of the Omnic vendor. Her sour mood and her occupied mind had made her blind to the curious acquaintance of hers perched overhead.

As Lynx observed her faux interest in the price of fresh fish, a flare of curiosity stirred in their circuits. Certainly there was no harm in going down and seeing exactly what Zarya was doing here of all places? After all, it wasn’t like Lynx was doing anything at the moment. Sure there was the chance that they might miss their client if they let themself get sucked into another one of Zaryanova’s wild escapades, but they supposed that’s what the client deserved for making them wait. They slipped off the edge and landed in the market.

It didn’t take long to find Zarya again, even without their elevated advantage. Goodness, had she always been that tall?

“Zaryanova,” they said from behind her as soon as she was within range. “What international criminal brings you to this glorious shopping mall?”

The warm hum of the synthetic voice was familiar, but the familiarity itself wasn't enough to halt the reflexive way her body stiffened. She'd been recognized and called by name while on a mission trying to blend in and she found herself immediately on edge. 

Vivid ocean blue eyes focused on the short omnic's face as she turned, and an expression of relief crossed her face for only a moment before it was contained once more beneath her typical frown. "Lynx. I should 'ave known you would be here."

Lynx was surprised by Zarya’s straightforward greeting. By her standards, it was practically polite. She rumbled through her thick Russian lilt, pulling her hands from her kangaroo pocket to fold them across her chest in what was meant to be a stern motion, though it carried the hint of something slightly....self conscious.

"I am 'ere on business, omnic. I cannot say more than that. Not 'ere." She raised her head and glanced over the sea of patrons and vendors. "Walk with me," she finally grumbled, gesturing with her head for Lynx to follow as she turned and started to part her way through the crowd, leaving a perfect path in her wake for Lynx to fall right in behind.

With a shrug they followed her deeper into the market, sinking easily into the growing noise. She seemed to be heading towards an even louder part of the market where a crowd had gathered around a small group of buskers. The music and the chatter combined would be enough to mask their conversation easily.

They wondered why she hadn’t simply shooed them away upon recognizing them; after all, they hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms, putting the whole  _ life debt  _ thing aside. Perhaps they had piqued her curiosity as much as she had captured theirs? It wasn’t in Lynx’s programming to believe in fate, yet stumbling across a one-time accomplice in such a big world was quite the coincidence.

“Business then?” they asked as the roar of the crowd sheltered them from eavesdroppers. “Still bounty hunting for Volskaya?”

She merely grunted and gave a subtle inclination of her head. "I 'ave been sent along with others. Reports of a small terrorist group run by one of Volskaya's known enemies. We are here to subdue them, though I am simply backup if reports of small numbers ‘appen to be incorrect."

The word 'backup' is spat almost like an insult. She shifts her weight to lean against a nearby traffic sign which bows slightly beneath her mass, and her distaste for her current position is mirrored on her face. Oh how she would much rather be up at the front, crushing enemies beneath the beam of her particle cannon.

She blinked, returning from the ideal situation in her mind's eye and raises a scarred brow at her small companion. "Now you will tell me why you are here."

Her order wasn’t particularly rough or demanding, but it also wasn’t a question. Not that she should particularly care what the small rabbit-eared omnic is up to these days. It was simply passing the time and occupying herself. Nothing more. That was what she told herself anyway.

“Will I? That doesn’t sound like something I’d do.” Lynx watched, enjoying the way they could needle her with such few words.

Usually they didn’t take pleasure in provoking the humans they were forced to deal with, but something about Zarya was…intriguing. Maybe it was the fact that they weren’t actually committed to any sort of partnership with the woman anymore, and could exit the conversation if it was no longer entertaining. Having the ability to leave, strangely enough, made them more likely to stay.

“I’d much rather talk about you, Zaryanova,” they added. “Are you alright with staying back here perusing fruit stands while someone else does the heavy lifting?”

A muscle in the woman's strong jaw flexed. "That is none of your business. This is my mission. I am being paid well, so right now what I want does not matter," she growled, staring Lynx down.

They'd hit the nail right on the head and she didn't like it one bit. She shuffled her weight from foot to foot in subtle discomfort. Ever since they'd worked together, Lynx'd had a way of being able to read her in a way that seldom few could and it made her feel vulnerable. She hated feeling vulnerable enough as it was, but the fact that it was none other than Lynx, an omnic, that evoked those feelings only amplified it. However, unlike before, she had no reason to stay and remain in their company.

"You are distracting me from my work, Lynx. Unless you are going to tell me what business you ‘ave here, we have nothing more to speak about." She set her jaw, but averted her gaze away.

“Well all right,” Lynx shrugged. “I suppose since you’ve shared with me, I’ll share with you.” It was, after all, not a particularly secretive mission they were on. “A new friend of mine wishes his wife’s accounts looked into, as he believes she’s planning on extorting him and then leaving the country. Not a particularly high-profile case, but it gets me out of the house.”

They watched a man in a hat shuffle by, wondering if he, or any one of the other suspicious looking humans in the crowd were his “new friend.”

“I haven’t had anything interesting to do the past two years, in fact,” they said, flicking their ears back to Zarya. “After chasing hacker with a surly Russian across multiple nations, nothing much compares anymore.”

It took a lot of willpower to stifle the grin that threatened to overtake Zarya’s face, but her lip twitched anyway and an amused twinkle flashed in her eyes. After a moment she took a deep breath and let it out in a huff as she shot a glance back in Lynx's direction. "Seems we are both stuck with the short end of the stick."

“That we are.” Lynx didn’t miss the moderate lightening of Zarya’s mood, and bobbled with that information for a good second. Then they said, “I suppose there’s nothing we can do about that then. Although…backup  _ is  _ most handy when it’s close by. You could always go and check in on them, make sure everything is going according to plan.”

She gestured with a thumb up to her right ear. " _ Nyet _ . I am listening to radio chatter. All is well so far. The ‘ideout 'as been located and will be breached soon. They are reporting few personnel around the two entry points, which means there are most likely not very many inside. I believe they 'ave adequate coverage for now. My presence would be..... ehhh.... what is that stupid American idiom? 'Too many cooks in the kitchen.'"

She glanced around and pulled out some pocket change to toss into the buskers coffee tin, on the off chance anyone happened to be watching.

"Do not worry about me. I will find a way to get my hands dirty." She gives a curt little laugh. "But you too 'ave a job to do. You must play shrink for a sad man and a greedy wife. I 'ope you are being compensated well for your time. You are meeting him here, ya?"

“…I am.” In comparison to breaching a hideout, Lynx felt particularly glum about their own mission. Unfortunately, as though speaking the devil’s own name, their client chose that moment to stick his head above the crowd and spot the loitering pair.

He bullied his way through busy shoppers, stumbling in front of Lynx and Zarya. “ _ You! _ ” he said in Chinese, pointing forcefully at Lynx. “ _ You’re the one in the emails? The one who’s going to help me? _ ”

Zarya’s descriptor of ‘sad man’ wasn’t too far off. His hair was a mess, and even as he spoke he had to wipe his nose on his sleeve to keep the endless stream of snot at bay.

“You’re not used to being discrete, are you?” Lynx’s shoulders slouched as even more looks were shot their way. As if Zarya didn’t already attract enough on her own. “Yes, I am the one you’ve been corresponding with.”

Sad Man only looked relieved for a second before flicking his eyes to Zarya. “And who’s she?”

“This is  _ Aleks _ . She is a friend of mine, who has decided to join me today.” Not exactly a lie.

Zarya blinked and her brows twitched upward in barely masked surprise. While she appreciated the use of a codename while she was laying low, she did not anticipate Lynx using a shortened version of her actual first name. She caught herself briefly wondering how she would feel should Lynx decide to call her by that nickname again, and what situations would call for such...intimacy, feigned or…otherwise? But she was quick to disgustedly stomp down that thought train before it left the station.

Bringing herself back to the present, she took a half step closer to Lynx's shoulder and gave the disheveled man a nod. " _ Privet _ . My…friend handles all software things. I do the hardware things. I am also complaint department." She rolls her heavy shoulders and gives the man a pointed stare.

It took every ounce of Lynx’s self-control not to laugh as the already disheveled man paled further. They could hardly blame him; Zarya was not the sort of woman you wanted to be on the wrong side of.

“Oh,” he muttered, switching to English. “I wasn’t aware there would be…but th-that’s fine! I’m sure I won’t have anything to complain about.”

Lynx felt slightly bad for making their client squirm so much, but then they remembered how long he’d kept them waiting, and decided that a little bit of intimidation never killed anyone. Besides, it was fun to see Zarya on their side for a change. Watching in her in action reminded them of the OR-14s that used to guard the airport, putting down anyone who tried to start something over the mixed omnic-human facilities.

“Are you um…” the Sad Man said, somehow having found himself wrapped up in a interrogation. “Have you worked together long?”

"Yes. Long enough for us to work smoothly together. You will not find much to complain about," Zarya replied curtly, not one for making small talk unless it was something she gave a shit about.

Lynx was far more of a talker than her from what she'd gathered of their personality. Intelligent yet streetwise. Confident yet not prideful. Small statured yet strong in ways Zarya had not expected. They were the kind of person and personality Zarya felt comfortable relying on and putting her trust in. It was a strong enough feeling that it spoke louder than the voice that reminded her constantly that Lynx was an omnic and not to be trusted under any circumstances.

"Now, let us talk business," she ordered, turning her gaze onto Lynx. It was their job after all, not hers. They had all the information and specific details. She was there only out of lack of something better to do.

“Right! Of course!” The man shuffled to get at the papers in the back of his coat.

Lynx admired how seamlessly Zarya fit into her role. It was nice to have someone powerful at their back, comforting even. Although they were used to relying on their own skills, having a former-weightlifting champion there for backup certainly made them feel safer. Briefly, they entertained the idea of getting a bodyguard after this, although they doubted it would be the same without Zarya.

“I see,” they said, examining the financial accounts. They brought up a screen with one hand and passed the documents to Zarya with the other. “Very suspicious. Wouldn’t you agree, Aleks?”

There it was again. Her name, shortened. Another strange pang in her chest. They'd already used the nickname twice now. Were they going to make a habit of it? Or was this just a part of the show? It was a little late to ask at this point. She accepted the papers and looked them over one by one, her brows furrowing slightly in concentration, though not because of what she was actually reading. The chatter in her ear had become a bit more intense. The team had breached the hideout and had were met with a little resistance; still no need for her intervention. Not yet.

She passed the papers back, "Yes. Suspicious," was all she grunted, still listening to the radio chatter.

Lynx pretended to look between their tablet and the physical records thoughtfully. In all reality they’d discovered the link between the account the moment sad man had sent the second email, but they weren’t in the habit of doing things for free. They wouldn’t just  _ tell  _ him what he wanted to hear, lest he think the their job was easy.

“I have some good news and bad news,” Lynx told the man finally. “The good news is that you get to be right: your wife IS extorting you.”

“What-?” The man looked rapidly between Lynx and Zarya. “I don’t see how-”

Lynx passed the client a tablet, showing their work. “Job well done everyone! Good work, Aleks.” They patted her lightly on the shoulder.

She said nothing, but nodded in reply. She could appreciate Lynx's smart-assed business approach, finding amusement in the way the disheveled client floundered. Good. She thought smugly. Let him squirm. He will be much smarter and a little less rich once all is said and done; perhaps he will pick a better wife in the future.

She glanced down as Lynx patted her shoulder, still silent as she listened to the radio in her ear. Eight suspects had been apprehended, four had been killed trying to put up a fight. They were still clearing the hideout, more personnel suspected to be deeper inside.

“That should be all you need to press legal charges,” Lynx said, indicating the tablet. “Now, if you could transfer our payment.”

The blubbering man looked about to protest, but one glance at Zarya and he nodded vigorously. Lynx noted notification in their systems that it’d been received in full.

“Excellent! Enjoy your time in the market, my friend.” With that, the client had no choice but to nod meekly, wandering off into the crowd. Lynx tilted their had after him. “Well, that was certainly more fun that a routine embezzling case. Thank you for that Zarya.”

She shook her head. "I did nothing but play along with the game." She shrugged, but after a moment, added, "but it was...fun to watch sad man squirm."

They looked at her more closely. “Something wrong, my friend? You look troubled.”

"Nothing wrong. My team has breached 'ideout and they are finishing up now. Ten apprehended. Seven dead for fighting back. Mostly young fools. I believe I would 'ave been more bored there than 'ere. At least 'ere I was able to 'elp you make job run smoothly and provide entertainment."

She turned to face Lynx. "Even though there was nothing to do, we both still made money..." She hesitated, like there was more to that sentence. "Perhaps, there is somewhere in town you-...we can go. Perhaps....spend a little of this money?" she managed to suggest, though hated the almost sheepish way her voice had sounded.

“Oh ho, so we  _ do  _ still want to have some fun tonight?” Lynx twitched an ear. 

It was nothing like a date or such, so why did she hesitate? They were...friends. She huffed a breath through her nose in mild disgust for herself and shoved her hands into her hoodie pocket. The Great Aleksandra Zaryanova. Friends with an omnic. How the mighty had fallen...

“I suppose I do owe you a stipend for playing bodyguard,” Lynx mused, “pretend or no. I hear Lucheng has an excellent planetarium. What do you say? My treat.”

"No. You do not owe me. I simply am looking for something to fill my time. Processing ten suspects and digging through whatever shit is in that 'ideout will be long and tedious. Your company is... preferable. Let us go to this, planetarium place." She removed one hand from her hoodie pocket to gesture for Lynx to lead the way.

“Preferable?” Lynx asked as they made their way through the crowd. “Zaryanova, you are making me blush.”

"Omnics do not blush." She retorted quietly, the lightest hint of warmth gracing her own cheeks.

Funnily enough, even with Zarya following in Lynx's footsteps, she still had a way of parting the crowd. Most passersby took one look and immediately veered off to give her a wide berth. Lynx would find themself having no trouble picking their way through the throngs of marketgoers. The planetarium wasn’t far, but it was a climb through the sloping streets of Lijiang. Lucheng loomed over them, the crowd thinning now that the shops were few and far between. Up here, there wasn’t much for entertainment besides the facility and a glittering fountain across the street.

Zarya fell quiet, watching Lynx buy their tickets while they made idle conversation to her. Just as they'd started to leave the kiosk to make their way inside, the sound of rushed footsteps behind her had her instinctively grasping Lynx's waist and tugging them close as a panicked young gentleman shoved past, nearly mowing over an elderly woman as he mumbled something about finding a bathroom over and over. She shook her head and immediately retracted her hand, her eyes following the poor fellow on his rushed journey to the nearest loo.

"Must not be a fan of the local food," was all she said.

If the brief contact surprised Lynx they didn’t show it. “I suppose so.” They changed the subject. “We’re lucky there’s shows running 24/7. Though I suppose it makes in a place where you can’t see the sky, day or night.”

"I 'ave never been to a planetarium before," Zarya admitted, once they'd finally made it inside.

In all honesty she had no idea what to expect. Were there pictures? Vids? Did the building just have an open top to look at the stars? Back in the days of fighting in the wars that ravaged her Motherland, deep in the Russian tundra and far away from any light pollution, she had enjoyed stargazing on the quiet nights while taking watch shifts. The massive arm of the Milky Way lit up the night sky with millions of dazzling stars and she would often have to force herself to look away to remain vigilant on her watch.

Lynx noticed how she gazed around the domed theater, seemingly lost in thought. “Well I’m sure you’ll have a splendid time. There were several planetariums in Numbani, but my favorite was the one at the museum: they actually put a little showmanship to it, instead of just telling you the elemental components of a star.”

They found their seats, and Lynx found a small headset tucked into the side of the chair. “Here,” they said, handing her the headphones. “If you’d prefer to listen in Russian.”

"Ah... yes... Yes I would."

She seemed a little taken aback when presented with the headphones. She unfolded them and placed them comfortably over her ears. That was...such a thoughtful thing to think about. She turned away to gaze around the theater, biting her lip hard and worrying it between her teeth as she internally stomped down the fluttering sensation in her gut. On the one hand she was surprised with the kindness shown to her by such a strong willed, sassy omnic. But on the other hand, Lynx hadn't failed yet to throw her off guard when she least expected it and she reminded herself that she should come to expect surprises from them.

The show started, and already Lynx was intrigued by the opening. Instead of the same old humdrum, it began by explaining the story of the Chinese Zodiac in detail, using their respective constellations to spin it across the sky. Lynx watched the rabbit and the tiger race past each other, hopping stones in the great river of the Milky Way. Although it was entertaining, Lynx spared a glance at Zarya, glad to see her wrapped in her own audio recording.  The stars and constellations reflected in her eyes, wide with unbridled, unrestrained awe. The constellations danced before her as the voice in her ears spoke in her mother tongue, softly enough to not conflict with the wondrous ambiance, but firmly enough to register and the knowledge it was relaying to be absorbed.

Lynx felt a twinge of…amusement. Yes, that it what it must be. How else could they explain the way their circuits sparked when they looked at her?

But then they glanced down at her hand, resting gently between the two of them. It was massive, especially in comparison to Lynx’s own, which were designed for careful tweaks and calibrations. An impulsive thought crossed Lynx’s mind, and instead of dismissing it, they wondered if maybe fate had brought them together today for a reason.

They reached out and placed their hand on top of hers.

At first, Zarya didn't even notice the hand resting upon hers. But a small part of her mind registered the affectionate gesture and only thought to rotate her hand and interlock fingers with the smaller one. It wasn't until a slight lull in the performance that she realized how far forward she had been leaning and sheepishly settled back in her chair. She absentmindedly squeezed the hand in hers, feeling metal joints, warm from the contact, give slightly to the pressure... Then it clicked and she ripped her eyes from the performance to stare down at her hand, affectionately squeezing Lynx's... She felt frozen suddenly, the weight of the hand in hers feeling much heavier now. Tearing her hand away would make it that much more obvious, but then again, so would leaving it there. There would be no way to chock it up to pure accident. So she swallowed thickly and turned her face back up to the stars, pretending more for herself, that she wasn't clasping hands with Lynx. Her hand no longer moved against theirs, though her palm had started to sweat.

All too soon it was over, the show ended and the magic had been broken. Lynx withdrew their hand from hers from hers to clap, and she used the opportunity to wipe off the sweat. She pulled off the headset, hanging it neatly over the arm of the chair before shoving her hands deep into the safety of her sweatshirt pocket.

It surprised Lynx that Zarya hadn’t immediately recoiled at their touch, and even more that she’d actually returned the hold. Maybe they weren’t giving her enough credit: she obviously wasn’t adverse to spending time with them.

“How did you enjoy your first planetarium, Zaryanova?” they asked, as casually as could be.

"It was.....very good." She gave a solemn nod, not meeting eye contact with Lynx as she stood up from her seat. "I will now know new constellations and new things about the ones I knew before. You chose well, but I must be leaving soon. My team is finishing up and soon they will be calling for me." She informed them and with that, started leading them towards the exit.

“Oh,” They said as they tried not to let the disappointment fill their voice. “O-of course. They will want to collect you for your departure after all.”

They followed her outside, feeling strangely off balance. But once out of the exit, they stopped, staring up the black of the sky so much smoother and starless than the show they’d just left. “What a strange night. A one-time adventure that in terms of probability, never should have happened.”

Zarya finally stopped when they'd mostly cleared the throngs of people leaving the planetarium, turning to face Lynx when they had found a quieter place. "Yes... It was very unusual that we should both 'appen to be 'ere tonight," she started, shifting her large bulk from foot to foot. "But it was good to see you again. You are a good partner and we do work well together."

Ahh... That didn't seem quite enough. There was something more there that she wanted to put into words and tell them, but she wasn't quite sure what. She was sure that her sentiments would communicate that she had been glad to see Lynx and had missed their presence...right? Was it enough? She started to open her arms, but stopped halfway. A hug? Would a hug be appropriate? A handshake seemed too formal and too unfriendly and doing nothing seemed almost worse. She masked her half-hearted motions with putting one hand on her hip, the other one stretching up to run a stressed hand through her short pink locks.

"So eh.... this is goodbye for now? I-I do not know what to say..." She admitted with a noise that sounded somewhere between a cough and a laugh, a pink flush not unlike the color of her hair starting to bloom across the bridge of her nose and at the tips of her ears.

The blush didn’t go unnoticed. Lynx finked their ears merrily at Zarya’s rare openness.

“Don’t hurt yourself Aleksandra. I know expressions of profound emotion aren’t your forte.” Still, they could see she was struggling, so they reached out and placed a hand on her forearm and gave it a squeeze. “Though maybe I was inaccurate in saying this was only a one-time thing. I have a feeling we will be seeing each other again soon.”

"I...look forward to it. Goodbye Lynx." She gave a little nod and made another somewhat confused, hesitant motion towards Lynx before seeming to decide better of it and hurried away back into the crowd.

_ "Zaryanova. O'Connor. Prezwalski. Mission has been completed. Meet at rendezvous point in 5 for transport." _

The com in her ear buzzed and she hurried along, though her mind remained with her dear friend and their little mini-adventure. Luck had brought them back together and she found herself hoping it would happen again soon.


End file.
